Hello everyone! It’s summertime and all that hot weather outside can be exhausting but enjoyable. With this time of year, especially this year, we have been hearing and telling a lot of people to do a few things this summer, two specifically. Drinking a lot of water is always sound advice but not what we want to mention today. What are those two things, you might ask? It would be to protect yourself with sunscreen and some bug protection. let’s examine the two topics of sunscreen and bug spray today. Let’s start with protection from those summer bugs.
Bug protection
I know the bugs have not been out in full force yet this year and hopefully, we will not see that many here in the land of the good life, Nebraska. However, there has been much concern and talk about the Zika Virus now a days. This is one reason why it is important to wear bug spray or use some sort of bug protection. The Zika Virus is transmitted from a mosquito bite but it can be transmitted sexually too. The common symptoms of Zika Virus include: redness in eyes, joint pain, fatigue, fever, and rash, which can last a couple of days to a week. If someone is pregnant and contracts the Zika Virus, it may and can cause some brain defects to the fetus.
Bug spray that has DEET or Picaridin in it is what the CDC recommends. They both seem to be the most effective. Other protective mechanisms would be long-sleeved shirts and pants when around standing water. With the use of bug spray and summer comes the other important issue of sunscreen usage.
Sunscreen
We do need some sun to get our Vitamin D daily. However, you only need to be out in the sun without protection for about 15-20 minutes to get the full benefits. After that amount of time, you can injure your skin. This is why we recommend using sunscreen if you are going to be outside for a long time. Using it helps to protect your skin and can even have an anti-aging effect. You should reapply sunscreen every few hours after working out in the sun but need to reapply sunscreen every hour while swimming and exercise. Apply the sunscreen to anywhere that will be visible to the sun or clouds and layer it on thick when rubbing it in.
You want a sunscreen that protects you from both UV-A & B rays and as at least an SPF 15 rating. Make sure to read the label of anything that you put on your skin. This is just as a precaution for allergies and expired products. Price for sunscreen shouldn’t be a determining factor. Buy one that gives the protection you need. Sunscreen is important but also try to protect yourself with a hat and protective clothing if you can, even lay under a tropical umbrella for some shade.
Have fun in the summer heat and enjoy the sunshine but protect yourself and your loved ones. Fletcher Chiropractic is here with helpful information for you so that you can live a healthy happy life.
References
www.CDC.gov/zika, www.WEBMD.com